Locking mechanism for doors



July 6, 1943. J. w. SHANNON ETAL LOCKING MECHANISM FOR DOORS Original Filed Nov. 12, 1940 FIGL 2.

INVENTORS J1me; WIS/M12110]: luau/K im? wqyfiJamzsEM Patented July 6, 1943 2323,35: LOCKING MECHANISM roa nooas James W. Shannon and Louis M. Hathaway,

lngleslde, Ten, and James E. McKee. Wilmlngton, Del.

Original application November 12,1940, Serial No.

365,226, new Patent No. 2,213,149, dated February 17, 1942. Divided and this application January 6, 1942, Serial No. 425,734

a means. (Ci. 292-182) This invention in its broader aspects has reference to mechanism for securing doors, furniture drawers and analogous movable units.

More particularly, the present improvements relate to devices adapted for locking aligned doors to an intervening jamb such as the side doors of automobiles, passenger cars and so forth, and wherein it is highly desirable that they be firmly held against accidental or deliberate opening by occupants while the automobile or car is in motion.

Specifically the instant improvements have reference to devices of the type operative to automatically lock the rear-doors of four-door automobiles or other cars when the front one are closed, so that said rear-doors cannot be accidentally or otherwise opened until the front ones are released: while the present subject-matter is a division from an application for patent filed by the. same inventors under Serial No. 365,226, November 12, 1940, which was allowed August 8, 1941, and later matured to U. S. Patent No. 2,273,149, dated February 17, 1942.

The primary object of the present improvements is to furnish a door locking device of the species generally indicated in the above identified prior patent which can be applied to the center post or top frame structure of all types of fourdoor automobiles and cars, or to individually movable adjoining drawers and similar units, without damaging, defacing or altering the shape or conventional section of the respective doors and center post. I

Other objects with ancillary advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, of typical embodiments thereof; and wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in all the views; while the concluding claims more parand bottom thereof.

In the following detailed description of this invention, shown by the single sheet of illustrative drawings herewith, specific terms will be emticularly define the features of novelty over the ployed for the sake of clarity, but it is to be understood that such terms are used in a descriptive sense and not for the purpose of limitation, each said term being intended to include all technical equivalents which operate in a similar man ner to accomplish an analogous purpose.

Referring first to the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, which illustrates the adaptation of the present improvements for coaotion with the top of the front and rear-doors I, 2, respectively, an actuator plunger 3If0l coaction with the front-door, preferably of rectangular-section with a rounded edge 3 as in th foregoing identified patent, is mounted in a short casing I, and is provided with a head 5 under the action of a spring 6; while said casing has an apertured lug I pivotally coupled or articulated at 8, for vertical operation, to one end of a control lever 9 in turn fulcrumed at l0 to the car roof structure ll,

above the center-post l2, To the other end of the lever 9 is pivotally connected at l3, likewise for vertical movement, the rear-door locking plunger l4, preferably of round-section with a suitably shaped end M as in the prior patent aforesaid; while said lever is under the influence of a recoil tension spring l5, connected thereto at IS with its other end anchored at H to the front door framing l8, said spring I 5 being effective to influence the plunger l4 upwardly, relative to the registering frame I!) and reardoor top edge holes 20, 2|, respectively, whereas the actuator plunger 3 only engages a registeriilig hole 22 in the associated front-door framing 8.

In Fig. 2, there is shown the application of the above described form of this invention, for coaction with the rear-door side edge or for horizontal actuation, and to avoid unnecessary repetitive matter, like references are applied, with new ones only added where necessary. From Fig. 2 it will be seen the casing 4 is positionally reversed and provided with an actuator plunger or axially aligned extension 23, embodying the rounded end 3' at its free end, said extension being conven iently furnished with a stop 24 for limiting outward movement thereof, when the car front-door I is opened; whereas the locking plunger i4 is formed with a head 25 between which and the inner end wall of the casing 4 the spring 6 is located. In addition, the control lever 9 is pivotally suspended at 26 within the center-post l2,

and connected, by appropriate coupling means 27, at the other end to the casing extension.

The tension spring IS in this form of the inven- I, or extension 23, and the associated lock plunger I 4 will both be released from active position in the respectively engaged holes 22 and engagement with such door; and tension means between the control-lever and the rigid structure aforesaid, said tension-means serving to retract 20, 2|. On the other hand, as the rear-door 2 I closes, the inner edge thereof by impacting the rounded end ll of the plunger I4 forces the latter inwardly of the roof structure I I, or centerpost I2, in opposition to the spring 6, thus telescoping the plunger I4 into said structure or post. Similarly, should the rear-door 2 be closed, it will be equally well apparent that as the inner edge of the front-door I closes, said edge will engage the confronting frame structure It or 28 and thereby telescope the plunger 3 or extension 23, in opposition to the spring 6 with positive advancement of the rounded end I4 of the locking plunger I4 into rear-door locking position under the action of the spring 6.

It will be also obvious that the rear-door 2 of either form of the invention is automatically locked by the plunger I4, and that said door cannot be opened carelessly or accidentally at any time without first opening the front-door I, such automatic feature being also highly efllcient when parking cars installed with the locking means of this invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a device for automatically securing aligned doors, individually-swingable relative to intervening rigid structure, the combination of a pendulously-supported control lever; an outwardly-influenced actuator coupled to the free end of the control lever, said actuator being inwardly-shiftable by coaction with the edge of one door as said door is closed; an aligned securing member also operatively coordinated to theactuator and similarly coactive with the corresponding edge of the other door prior to active the securing member from active engagement with the second-mentioned door, upon release of the actuator from coaction with the firstmentioned door. i

2. In a device for automatically locking the rear of aligned opposedly-swingable automobile doors with an intervening center-post, the combination of a control-lever pendulously-supported at one end by'said post; an outwardly-influenced actuator coupled to the free end of the control-lever, said actuator being inwardly-y shiftable by coaction with the outer edge of the automobile front-door as said door is closed; an aligned locking-plunger also operatively coordinated to the actuator and similarly coactive with the outer edge of the automobile rear-door just prior to its active engagement with such door; and a spring in tension between the controlelever and the center-post, said spring serving to directly retract the locking-plunger from active engagement with the rear-door; upon release of the actuator from coaction with the front-door.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the center-post is hollow and the control-lever is vertically-suspended at its upper end within said post, intermediate the top and bottom edges of the respective doors; the actuator is axiallyaligned with the locking-plunger; and said actuator is appropriately coupled to the lower end of the control-lever for horizontal movement thereby.

4. The combination of claim 2, wherein the actuator and locking-plunger are in the form of relatively-telescopic members, and a spring in compression therebetween normally influences said members opposingly outwards.

JAMES W. SHANNON. LOUIS M. HATHAWAY. JAME E. MCKEE. 

